Of course, Eaton finished second in both, diluting the impact of Warner’s advantage.
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“Going into these Olympics I told myself that I wanted the gold medal”.
After a gruelling decathlon, Canada’s @DamianWarner makes us proud with a #bronze.
“To share this moment as Olympians, as Olympic medalists, with her is awesome”, Eaton said. The American again proved why on Thursday evening by winning gold in the Rio decathlon.
They met in Eugene, Ore., a decade ago when they were both track stars at the University of OR, and they still live in the city, where they share the same coach, Harry Marra.
But that was never going to happen, with Eaton racing past his rival with 200 meters remaining to seal the win, clocking a time of 4:23.33 seconds. In the fifth and final event on Wednesday, he ran the 400 meters in a very strong time of 46.07.
Eaton has confirmed his status at the dominant decathlete of his time. “I thought I had what it took to break the Canadian record five years ago, and I didn’t learn that until last year”.
He also has successfully defended his gold medal from London 2012, becoming just the third man ever to repeat as Olympic decathlon champion.
The American men’s 400 relay team qualified fastest for the relay final with a season-best 37.65. Warner, meanwhile, kept producing personal bests to keep the competition close. The last back-to-back decathlon champion was the great Daley Thompson. The U.S. won 29 medals, including nine golds, in London. The list includes Bob Mathias, Milt Campbell, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner, Dan O’Brien and Bryan Clay.
Nobody can match the USA star when it comes to the decathlon – and there was no one in this field who was ever going to stop him from retaining his Olympic title.
What more could the now two-time Olympic champion Eaton do Thursday night to get just a little sliver of the limelight that beams so brightly on Usain Bolt?
In addition to the 17 current and former Ducks competing in Rio, the head coach of the U.S. Men’s Track and Field team is UO associate athletic director Vin Lananna.
“How can’t there be one stinking point in there somewhere?”
“Why does it feel good, after running, to pour a bottle of water over your head?”
“When I wrestle, I don’t think my goal is to step on the mat and look to see if I’m equal with someone”, she said.
China’s 15-year-old phenom Ren Qian putting on an astonishing show in the women’s platform diving finals, taking gold over countrywoman Si Yajie while splashing less water than I do during a single tooth-brushing session.
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While Bolt failed to challenge his stunning world record time of 19.19secs, he was nevertheless a clear victor and has now won the 100m and 200m at three successive Games – a staggering and unprecedented feat.
